Kapidan Nikollë Gjon Marku (Gjomarkaj) was born in Orosh, Mirdita on April 19, 1927.

In April 1945 the family of the Kapidan of Mirdita was arrested and held in the house of Guljelm Luka in Shkodra. This house was directly across the street from their home known as the Kulla of Gjon Marka Gjoni. The house was confiscated and turned into the central command of State Security. The house of Guljelm Luka was a turned into a real prison with surrounding walls and police guards. From there, in June 1945, together with other families gathered from villages deep in the North, they were transferred and interned in the city of Berat.

Nikollë was 17 years old when, together with other family members, women and children, was interned in the city of Berat. Following internment in Berat he was transferred to other forced labor camps in Albania: Uznoves camp, in the district of Berat; Kucova; Shjakut; Valias and subsequently in the infamous Tepelena camp. From there he was sent to work in  Llozhan in district of Elbasan. He worked on 800 grams of bread a day, lived in appalling conditions and inhumane torture.

In May 1949 with nine friends from Dibra, he escaped from Llozhan and after a struggle with the security forces, three were captured and the remaining six friends separated in groups of two to reduce visibility. The following day Nikoll’s group arrived in Elbasan and then Tirana. Following a clandestine stay with friends of his friends from Dibra, they arrived at the border and surrendered to the Yugoslav forces. However, the Yugoslav authorities lacked confidence in the fugitives and forced them back into Albanian territory.

They spend six months in hiding in the mountain facing constant danger. After the six months passed they once again presented themselves to the authorities at the border and were granted permission to enter Yugoslavia. Among the friends who fled with Nikoll were: Abdullah Kaloshi, Jonuz Ndreu and Xhelal Dine, who live in New York.

Nikollë remained in Yugoslavia for seven years, where he enjoyed the respect of the nationalist Albanian immigrants, who were aware of the sacrifices his household had suffered under the communist regime. In November 1956, he was allowed to cross into Italy and joined his father, Gjon Marka Gjoni and brother Ndue Gjon Marku.

During his exile in the West, Nikollë held distinguished press positions within the political party “Independent National Bloc“, established by his father Gjon Marka Gjoni and older brother Ndue Gjon Marku. He also worked for Radio Free Europe for many years.

Nikollë  returned to Albania in 1994, after the fall of Communism in 1991 and was reunited with his other surviving brother Dedë and sisters Marta and Bardha along with his nephew Gjon Mark Gjomarkaj and nieces Kristina and Celestina, all of whom he left behind after his brave escape. He reunited with them at their family home in Shkodra.

Sadly Nikollë passed away suddenly on May 15, 2018 at his home in New York. He is survived by his wife, Vilma, three children: Mark, Alex and Anna Maria and one grand-daughter, Ava.